Apparently the meaning behind "Little Girls" is that Danny Elfman was disgusted at all the rich middle aged men dating women half their age and he wanted to make fun of them lol
Cry Of The Vatos does have backwards vocals. When reversed, Danny Elfman promotes christianity to poke fun at people believing there were satanic subliminal messages hidden in songs
@@achair650 A few other people did the ironic backmasking thing around the same time. There was even a Christian musician (I think it was Mylon Lafever) who included one on one of his tracks. When you play it backwards, it says, "Why are you looking for the devil when you should be looking for God?" And there was even an episode of GI Joe where Destro recites an ancient magical chant to waken an eldritch horror. It's obviously reversed speech. When you play it backwards it says, "Anyone who goes to the trouble of playing this backwards is a complete dweeb."
I don't agree with a lot of your placements, but seeing someone talk about Oingo Boingo makes me legit happy. God speed. (And Elevator Man is GREAT, dammit)
I agree, sometimes Boi-Ngo is the right album for the occasion and its messages are powerful. I'm going to write a small essay on why I feel that way, for no reason in particular. Home Again: somewhat menacing and sad in a bittersweet nostalgic way. Great when you feel isolated and uncertain with your next step in life after feeling things have been off and feeling unsatisfied with life's circumstances in general. You're trying to find the familiar place (physical or abstract) where you feel safe from putting up a front to face a harsh world. We Close Our Eyes: while the studio version on this album is just okay, the live version on the farewell tour is spectacular. While essentially this song is a sappy little ballad, its words could not be more true and refreshing for the discouraged. This would actually make the best graduation song ever. Another bittersweet song that ruminates on the inevitability of death but having a choice of happiness. It's a very common Oingo Boingo theme, but done so earnestly and personally here. Where Do All My Friends Go: this song musically and lyrically evokes a mystery to be solved. At some points of our lives we can feel lonely, even when surrounded by people we know and love. This song explores, like many other Oingo Boingo songs, the alienating nature of modern life and the audacity it takes to set out alone when others can't relate to you or don't share your dream, and can't provide you support, direction, or validation. My Life: the song starts out as a list of anxieties but then the chorus comes in and changes the tone beautifully. This song implores you to hold on to the things that matter and to accept what falls away. The other songs are not as important to me, but it should be pointed out that there are related thematic elements to all songs in this album. Essentially Boi-Ngo's message as a whole is that life can be difficult and very alienating. On the other hand there are a few lodestones in our life that we can look to that stand apart from all the nonsense, pain, and failure we must endure. There are respites in people, places, and within yourself. This is the album to listen to if your world becomes alien and you must find a way to adapt.
From reading the description on the wiki about the band and on the album, It's actually conflicting, so it's safe to assume that it's because of that AND because the bassist Kerry Hatch and keyboardist Richard Gibbs dropped out during 1984. The band went into hiatus until replacements could be found. Danny wanted to produce an album for 1984 and since that the record company didn't allow them to because of the lack of Hatch and Gibbs, they denied permission to do so. In response. Danny produced So-Lo under his name, with the rest of the Oingo Boingo member with John Aliva on bass and Mike Bacich on keyboard, though they weren't officially a part of the band until *Dead Man's Party* came out a year later. In short, it's a combination of both stories.
Home Again, Elevator Man, My Life, and Outrageous were great, I really liked Boi-ngo. Plus, "Remember my Name" was supposed to go on there, which was fantastic, but sadly didn't make the album, or any album :(
Little Girls kept me away from Oingo Boingo for SO LONG because I didn’t know that it was written to ostracize pedos, and that’s one of my biggest regrets. I think Little Girls does exactly what it’s supposed to do PERFECTLY, it makes you uncomfortable because of the lyrics, but it’s so catchy you can’t help but to dance to it but you just feel so WRONG because it’s such a disgusting song, and it’s SUPPOSED to be like that and I love that aspect of it. The over desperation and creepiness in the song is how we can identify it as satire but unfortunately that critical thinking piece isn’t something everyone has, I know I didn’t when I was younger. And I’ve interpreted Capitalism in a similar way too, that the lyrics and point of few are just so bizarre it sounds like it’s making fun of what he’s pretending to be. But I Could be wrong with that interpretation because I do know that Danny’s viewpoints have changed over the years. I too think Only A Lad and Good For Your Soul are THE quintessential Boingo albums because they really capture what the band is about, I think GFYS has a good mix of their social commentary and creepy aesthetic, so that’s why that one is my favourite (favourite album Ever actually). I LIKED HEARING YOUR OPINIONS A LOT thank you for this video and sharing pieces of Oingo Boingo that people might not have heard before
Many of Danny's songs in the early days were meant to be reactionary and provocative. In some cases, he was using the "unreliable narrator" technique, so the lyrics were intentionally designed to be interpreted in a number of ways.
OK. First, SoCal native, here, now residing in Montana. (Where I met Brigit, Danny's wife, made a couple of movies with her brother, Justin. Young, then.) Mystic Knights was my 1st show, taken by my best friend's big brother, a troublemaker. About 820 years ago. I was far too young to be at the venue (the Whiskey? I don't know), but things were looser, then. We weren't drinking, of course, although it didn't matter, onstage a fever dream that kept one unmoored even these many years later. The theatrical troupe, then. I was unprepared for this oddity. Wonderful. Ended up in high school in Orem, Utah. The cultural polar opposite of SoCal, and Boingo was unfortunately relegated to a frozen memory. Especially for one who was not a member of the Mormon Club, this oppressive abject whiteness had a profound chilling effect on anything artistic, interesting, or true. I don't write epiphanies--cheap--but I've suffered a few. Listening to the (corporate) radio one afternoon, I looked up from my painting, said, almost out loud, I don't like this music I'm listening to and I'm going to change it right now. Started dialing about for something worth a damn. Came across the local college station. BYU, but still an uppity college station. Depeche Mode. Never cared for the band, found them a bit pokey, but my girlfriend liked them, figured if I enjoyed the next track, I may stick. This is my private life, can you get me out of here? I stuck the landing pretty hard. Reinvigorated my love affair with the Elfman and Oingo Boingo, which lasts to this day. That said, it's fair to remind oneself of Danny's native sarcasm and the levels of irony he trafficks in. Almost novelistic. Through double thinking and a twisting of clichés and clarity of purpose, Elfman is able to form a multifaceted and witty arguement within the confines of a (lively, both original and historical) pop song. (Warren Zevon and Elvis Costello and Joshua Redman--took my nephew to his first real show the other night, and Redman's combo was quite transporting--as a small example of such machinations.) Specifically, Little Girls obviously can't be taken at face value. Clearly, even the most brutal asshole of the day wouldn't write a song in support of pedophilia. The overt message being, Flattery will get you nowhere. Sometimes, we entertain relationships that are unhealthy, if ego stroking. Metaphor. Simple. And the Elfman's relationship with Brigit has been a serious benefit, if his orchestral work and his newest post punk solo album has anything to say about it. (Big Mess. Pick it up. Vinyl, if you can.) Like Tom Waits becoming so much more fascinating after he met Kathleen Brennan, for another example. Anyway, compelled to write about Little Girls as I've recently seen so much confusion online, going through a Boingo retrospective in the house. The takeaway being that we should all read more. And, still, Oingo Boingo one of the great live acts I've ever seen in this 800ish year old life. Really, my head has never stopped ringing. And my nephew, who plays sax and guitar, now considers Boingo a favorite. Like so many musicians. Long life and joy.
Reptiles and Samurai really shows the early Boingo genius. The song describes the 2 parts of Danny's brain fighting with each other. "They battle but they never die". The Reptile is the retreating shy part and the Samurai is his extroverted part. He obviously has problems talking to a girl but "Sometimes, I watch you from this place way in the sky" So he can step back from everything looking down at the big picture and her "face is young and shiny" but then all of a sudden it, "transformed right before my eyes" Oh no, his battle of both sides of his mind act up again, "Without warning, without reason to samurai and lizards, Reptiles and samurai ".
Boi-Ngo kind of suffered because of its production. There were actually more songs recorded for it, many in my opinion would have been the best on the album. For some reason they were cut and never released. The sound of the album was also very thin and commercial, which has dated it worse than the others. Given a remix, plus the unreleased songs, theres a much better, kinda abstract 'pop' album hidden in there!
My first introduction to Oingo Boingo wasn't Oingo Boingo at all, but Weird Al's style parody, You Make Me - a connection that I only realized upon first hearing the song Grey Matter, which is blatantly the main inspiration for You Make Me. Honestly, listening to Weird Al as a kid is one of the best things that happened to me, 'cause a lot of the musical styles that I love today is stuff I was introduced to by him back in the day.
Never thought I’d see this band get ANY attention these days, let alone an official discog ranking. I also think that boi-ngo is pretty weak as well however the best tracks are the bookends. I love the last song “Pain” and think the violin sample is brilliant. Nice list. Thank you sir.
I don’t think it is possible to listen to No Spill Blood and not groove to it. The entirety of Good For Your Soul is just so good. Probably my personal favorite of theirs. That album is just everything I love about Oingo Boingo. They just had so much chaotic energy.
I highly recommend Forbidden Zone directed by Richard Elfman,(his Big Brother and founder of the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo)I will say,it’s not for everyone,it has a lot going on that matches the manic beat and energy of the band. Their music that’s made up in the film is more in tune with jazz and blues of the 1930’s or novelty bits that are reminiscent from within the time. It’s like an adult Fleischer cartoon with all of their hallmarks,that happens to have music that would eventually be the band of Oingo Boingo. I seriously recommend it. Such an underrated band.Just happy to see people talking about their music.Solid video,solid opinions.
I always can understand in my head that there are other people my age that like them but when I look online all I see are these kinds of angry middle aged men and it makes me upset
Sir, I've been an Oingo Boingo fan for many years....And I have to pretty much agree with your placement of the albums. As to anyone that says you had to be there to understand it....True classics can be understood and their message is timeless. Regardless of age, if a song is truly good, you'll get it at any age or stage of time. To me, that is what makes Oingo Boingo timeless. Well done, Billy, well done.
In Boingo album, I picture Jack Skellington singing all the tracks especially in the tender lumplings interlude. But yeah, it's an underrated album and I agree with most with this discography ranking especially with the first three albums
I'd be tempted to switch Only A Lad and Good For Your Soul, but they're so close I can't be bothered at all by your ranking. Only gripe I had was your comment on Not My Slave. That gripe being I never noticed that it is kinda similar to Modern Love, and I hope that doesn't ruin the song for me in subsequent listens, as it's my favorite off that album. Still, a well thought-out video on an amazing oft-forgotten band!
On the contrary, I think that “reptiles and samurai” does compare the two. It emphasizes that reptiles are silly and mischievous, while samurai are serious. I read this interpretation of the song on r/oingoboingo by user HoardEG, "For the longest time I thought reptiles and samurai was total gibberish, but now I think it's about a man's struggles with balancing his serious side and his spontaneous side."
Regarding So-Lo, I believe Danny had to release it as a solo album to avoid record label issues as they were transitioning labels at the time. But the whole band is on the album with Danny.
Oh, and it's worth mentioning that Only A Lad can be seen as a concept album of sorts. The majority of the original tracks focus on deviants, fanatics, paranoids, and other assorted dregs of society. Also, Capitalism is usually considered to be a sarcastic jab at "Randroid" types.
It's not what Danny believed when he wrote it, though. It was inspired by him hearing punk bands singing about revolution. He thought it was ironic that if they lived in the truly revolutionary or communist countries that they idealized, they wouldn't even be allowed to espouse those views.
@@SirHatchporch danny has said the song was written mostly because he "was being a brat" and more about leftists who don't practice what they preach and only say things for praise, even saying it's ridiculous that conservatives think it's praising them. idk where you got that information, but it's wrong my man
@@kida5004 Theres audio recordings when they played it live where Danny rants in favour of capitalism, but he mellowed on it over time. The song was not so much written to be a political anthem (which Danny hated the idea of) but more a mockery of the 'middle class socialist brats' who 'dont practice what they preach', not so much a pro-conservative song when it comes down to it. But it was kept vague because Oingo Boingo's whole thing with that album was to provoke thought and challenge people. Either by total satire like Little Girls or provocative mocking lyrics like Capitalism.. Only A Lad even does both!
Skin from ‘Dark at the End of the Tunnel’ is so freaking good-it actually comforted me during a time of my life that I was questioning myself & who I am. Meanwhile Insanity from ‘Boingo’ gives me anti-hero/villain vibes I love it so much
Mary is secretly very popular with gay people because her story sounds so familiar. If you substitute her being a witch with being a lesbian, and substitute her magic powers with the magic of self-awareness, it's a perfect analogy
As a fan for decades now, these are some pretty sound opinions. I would have thrown in So-Lo in at the 4-5 spot. I'd keep Boi-Ngo at the bottom of the heap, but also single out the lovely We Close Our Eyes for special praise. Nothing To Fear would probably be my top pick. Honestly, though, their best three are all so consistent that I could waffle back and forth on any given day.
Been a fan since 1983 and actually watched them win The Gong Show in the late 70's. Also like Taylor Judge said below, THERE IS NO BAD BOINGO 😉! BTW, I love Elevator Man 🎸🎶😎!
buh capitalism is a satirical song just like every other song on only a lad lmao, that entire album danny was making fun of everyone, left and right. he just wanted to tick people that wouldnt understand his delivery off
I can break down Boingo perfectly. Every Boingo album is great but there was a shift in the band and member change when they embraced the whole Halloween thing when Dead Man's Party came out. I'd like to start with Islands is my favorite Boingo song of all time. Here is my breakdown: The first and second album, Only a Lad and Nothing to Fear are at the level of genius they never quite reach after those. Those 2 albums are absolutely creative genius! The EP before Only a Lad is great too by the way with Ain't This the Life and I'm So Bad. The 3rd album Good for Your Soul is excellent, just not as good as the one before, but excellent! The bassist Kerry Hatch was awesome but this the last album he is on and you will notice the bass lines never are quite the same. The keyboardist Gibbs leaves too. The next album Solo has Hatch and Gibbs in the credits but I don't think they are actually on it. Then Dead Man's Party was the beginning to the new sound without the amazing Hatch and of course Gibbs. The old way Danny would sing like he was a cartoon character he embraced on the first 2 albums are now done. I love it though. Boi-Ngo is great if you were around back then when it was popular. Dark at the End of the Tunnel has some amazing lyrics and beautiful singing. The final one Boingo, half of the songs are awesome but look for the original Los Like This as it originally was an outtake of, I believe, Good for Your Soul. Alive is them recording their songs live in the studio which I loved in the early 90s, but now I think the way Danny would sing on the first 3 albums was the best. Oh by the way, Not My Slave is the worst song of all time!
I've recently started listening to them, really happy to see this in my feed (: Loved the points you brought up - did you forget Spider when listing songs off Boingo, though?
I think my top three is almost the same, but for me it's probably more like 1.Good For Your Soul 2.Nothing To Fear 3.Only A Lad I'd put Dead Man's Party at 3 but I totally agree with the take you have on those three weaker tracks
I love Dark at the End of the Tunnel. I even like Boi-ngo, though it is probably their weakest effort, especially throwaway songs like “Elevator Man.” I just love their entire oeuvre. I think, though, that your breakdown is pretty logical, and probably most people would agree with your rankings.
There are characters in the show named oingo and boingo. The creator names a lot of characters in the show after bands and songs. Which makes a lot of music a jojo reference. That’s how my friend found oingo boingo, and through my friend is how I found them.
1. Nothing to Fear 2. Only A Lad 3. Good For Your Soul 4. Dead Man's Party 5. BOINGO 6. So-Lo 7. Boi-ngo 8. Dark at the End of the Tunnel Obligatory opinion disclaimer.
So glad I watch your channel, since watching this video I've been getting into Oingo Boingo, I love every song I've heard so far (just some singles and their first album)
I know its been a bajillion years since you've done this series, and the band I'm about to suggest you review probably isn't your type of taste, but please, I beg, BEG of you to do a Worst to Best on *Lemon Demon.* It'd be interesting both due to the band's varying quality of the albums from the oldest to the newest, and the subjects of all the songs, as they cover so many interesting ideas and different feelings.
I know I'm late, but it's good to see some love for Oingo Boingo! I've always thought they were one of the most inventive/underrated bands from the era. Your opinions aren't too far off from mine either. I'd put Dark at the End of the Tunnel at the dead bottom and Nothing to Fear at the top, as well as So-Lo at number 2 or 3, but otherwise, it's fairly similar! I really enjoyed the video, man! It's nice to see other younger people into Boingo!
im pretty sure the placement of capitalism on only a lad is to show the overall irony of the album itself. the delivery doesnt really seem pro capitalist.
I think Danny nailed it when he was asked if it was serious or satire and he said, "both. It's serious satire." That said, he was fairly conservative at the time he wrote it.
Old school Oingo Boingo fan here. Spot on reviews! Nasty Habits and Little Guns sound like the opening of Beetlejuice as well as the opening of Pee Wee. What blows me away about their first album is all the diverse time signatures. That plus the message of the songs makes me think like Danny was doing this as Masters Thesis. And did you find their live show from 1980 at the Whiskey on CZcams? Damn they were tight! Helluva a group. Could have seen them live in college but neglected to. Now I’m regretting it big time!
Thank you for covering one of my favourite band. While i don't agree with some critics i can see where you are coming from. Either way good to see a fellow fan. Keep up the good work.
Nice list! I disagree about the comment regarding Boingo lacking humor. The whiplashes in energy alone are comedic (not in the haha way) and it still has the sarcastic one liners. This album is my favorite from them
“The white folks think they’re at the top, ask any proud white male. A million years of evolution, we get Danny Quayle.” Such a funny little quip that just hits right.
@@YungM.D. The weird thing about it is that in that song he characterizes the Religious Right as both covertly racist, on a subliminal level (“white perfection, perfection is my goal/put us through the filter make us pure and white” Freudian choice of words much?) and overtly egalitarian (“lets make believe we’re all the same”); this level of nuance is rare coming from a liberal perspective and could almost come from the dissident right. But in this lyric it seems he’s portraying them as believing they’re racially superior (intellectually is implied seeing Dan Quayle is the punchline)... because of evolution I guess? But the Religious Right doesn’t believe in evolution, doesn’t want it taught in schools... in fact, they will use the argument that the theory of evolution led to the rise of Nazism and White Supremacy and stuff like that... they’re hypocritical of course but I think that’s the point of view he was portraying, that they were persecuting him for having liberal ideas on the grounds that liberal ideas promote genocide.
"Try To Believe" was released as a single for the film Midnight Run, a comical, crime road trip flick. I can understand your disdain for the post-commercial Boingo albums. I think I love them as I got into every album at one time. 1995, the year they broke up. My ex-wife turned me onto them at the time, when we were dating in H.S. I really think you should give Boi-ngo a shot again though. Elevator Man is one of my favorites. Commercial doesn't mean "bad". I think when you get older you'll realize this. Definitely look for the tracks they did on 80's Soundtracks like Bachelor Party and Last American Virgin too, those are some of their best songs imho. Really glad you love No One Lives Forever. My band covered that live before.
It’s not very often I completely agree with one of these videos, but you are completely on the mark! Though I do have one thing to say, with songs on Only A Lad I think it’s pretty clear to assume that songs like Capitalism or Little Girls arent from his point of view exactly, they are two very satirical songs and I think it’s more “I’m making fun of this point of view by imitating it” rather than “this is what I truly believe.” But who really knows, just another lens to look at the songs through I guess!
@@BillyCobbOfficial sorry dude, I have to disagree. Danny has stated in interviews that around that time he was writing about things from the news. I highly doubt that was from his point of view, it just sounds too satirical for me to say he genuinely thought that. On another note, I'm just glad I found someone willing to talk about them. And I have to agree that Oingo Boingo is one of my favorite bands! Keep going strong!
Billy Cobb Billy Cobb Danny has said before that it was actually a bit of both. The character he is singing as is meant to be obnoxious, but the whole "middle class socialist brat" bit was a sincere, albeit exaggerated criticism of the left. It does seem unlikely that the entire thing is Dannys genuine feelings considering he has stated many times (and this is obvious from other Boingo songs) that he is extremely liberal.
What you see is one of my favorites, always has to come after only a lad. I love just how scared it sounds, worried like it has accepted something but it is devastated by the realization
Dunno if you knew, but there's an interview of Danny where he talks about how Only A Lad is just making fun of/addressing different scenarios and people he happened upon. He didn't specify which song(s), but he literally said that some of them were simply inspired by newspaper articles.
@@isabellev9576 There was no comments of jojo and it was great, and you ruined it, DJ3ST3R is not hating jojo he is hating people like you who give the series a bad name by make annoying jokes like this. (In fact I would not be suprised if he likes jojo
Zeke Kehrman How did I ruin anything by making a reference, exactly? EDIT: Also, how is this joke annoying? Please elaborate on both of these questions.
It technically isn't a Boingo album, I dont know where that rumour came from that it was just renamed because the label didnt have the rights to the name. It was always conceived as a solo album from the beginning, but just had some members of OB play on it. Steve Bartek confirmed in an interview with Richard Blade that it was because MCA signed Danny solo, not Oingo Boingo (which was on hiatus at the time), but Danny persuaded them to change his recording contract to Oingo Boingo afterwards. Since Danny was always the sole songwriter for Boingo anyway, it really doesnt make much difference how you class it!
Hey! Long-time Boingoloid here, thought I'd fill in some context for some of the songs. First up, as Synthcool pointed out below, "Little Girls" is making fun of old guys who date young girls, but, growing up in Hollywood, the specific people he's talking about are movie producers, who were generally guys in their 60s with trophy girlfriends around 20 or so, which he thought was icky, and, you just *knew* some of these guys were going far younger than that. Which, as we've seen in the last few years, was true of that. "Capitalism" stemmed from what Danny saw as the hypocracy of his suburban California liberalism while growing up. As he put it, these were high-school kids who'd put on their leather jackets and claim to be all concerned about the poor and minorities and blah blah blah, and he just couldn't stand them because, in his mind, *everything* they were saying was just fashion, not actual belief. And as Danny never finished high school, and was mostly supporting himself by 18, he grew to detest their "Left Wing Chic" even more. "Only a Lad" is about largely the same thing as Capitalism, the idea that lenience for crime, particularly juvenile offenders, led to far, far worse problems down the road. This had been a huge issue all through the '70s, and was still very timely when the song was recorded for their debut EP in 1980, and rerecorded for their first album in 81. None of this should be taken to mean Danny is a Repubican or even a Conservative - as far as I know, he's not - he simply saw these issues as common sense at the time. "No Spill Blood" is an homage to the book, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" by HG Wells, about a mad scientist who turns animals into people and forces them to behave contrary to their instincts. When they disobey, he sends them off to his lab, where he experiments on them some more. They call the lab, "The House of Pain." Also, "Lawgiver," is one of the more intelligent animals, and his job is to remind them of the rules. Dunno if any of that is useful or not. I hope it was. So-Lo *is* a Boingo album, but they couldn't use the name as they were involved in a contract dispute between A&M and MCA records at the time, but that's fine, you probably already knew that. If you *DID* consider it one of their albums, where would you rank it? Also, if you considered their Live albums ("Boingo Alive" and "Farewell") as regular albums (As both of them have original material on 'em), where would you place them in the ranking?
Totally right, although Danny's personal beliefs have swayed over time (as we all do) thats totally the implications he had in mind originally if you read all the early 80s news articles and audio recordings, which I think comes through in the songs. The great thing about Oingo Boingo (and what Danny said was their modus operandi at the time) was that it challenged you to think while enjoying the energy, to question things whether you agreed or disagreed, and it's great the songs are still provoking thought all these years later! Only thing is the recording label dispute isnt quite how people often say it is, Steve Bartek confirmed it was because MCA signed a solo contract with Danny and didnt want Oingo Boingo, but Danny persuaded them to change it to OB after the release of So-Lo. So-Lo has most the band members playing on it anyway, except they were missing a bassist and keyboardist at the time
He might have “dropped out” of high school but it wasn’t because he flunked or anything like that. He left early so he could go with his brother on a trip to France and then Africa and he had probably skipped a couple of grades in math and science anyway seeing that he won third place in a science fair for doing experiments with radioactive materials when he was in junior high so he only had a couple of credits to make up which he did through correspondence.
@@nuclearcatbaby1131 IIRC, he actually got hit by a car while walking across the street. While he was recouperating in the hospital with nothing to do, he got his GED, followed by a hefty insurance settlement, which is what he used to get to France, and later to pay some of his way there and in Africa.
@@nuclearcatbaby1131 I don't think so. I remember reading an interview with Danny in Blender or something back in the '90s, and he was clearly talking about himself.
Look I know it has been 3 years since you made a “Worst to Best” video but can you please do another one. I really miss the worst to best videos. Possibly make a worst to best about the misfits or koRn, but I would love one about Nirvana and yes I know they have a small discography but I think you can let some live/compilation albums in their to make the video a bit longer if you ever want to make a worst to best about them. By the way love your music man, I have a lot of your ep’s and albums downloaded on Apple Music. Love the songs dude.
Wow. I so disagree. Dark At The End of The Tunnel is actually an up beat positive album. Out of Control was a great song. You have to be a real fan to understand the progression of Elfman’s musical taste. He even admitted that he wasn’t a fan of his own early stuff.
@@spaghetti_o_yeah9550 disagree. It’s easy for someone who looks at the surface of an artist’s car along and judge it solely on the music without understanding the influences and other contributing factors as to why a specific album came out the way. A casual listener may not appreciate it it as much
The arrangement and speed of Dead Man's Party when they performed it Live At The Ritz is amazing and way better than the album version. Check it out on CZcams.
![Corneus / Grausamkeit - Split Tape [With Extra Tracks] (B.S.o.D.)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0rOsftN4BUs/mqdefault.jpg)
Apparently the meaning behind "Little Girls" is that Danny Elfman was disgusted at all the rich middle aged men dating women half their age and he wanted to make fun of them lol
Nice to see you synth
ily synth
Yeah when you watch the music video it fully makes sense
My two heroes
@@user-gh4ff2dh8n it's literally in interviews
There is no bad Boingo
I 100% agree, even at their worst they are still fantastic
except for boingo (1994)
@@twitch1986mp3 cap
The 94 Boingo album was definitely the end of the band. It had more in common with Elfman's orchestral work. But that aside, it was STILL incredible.
@@jasonkinnan1074 absolute facts
Cry Of The Vatos does have backwards vocals. When reversed, Danny Elfman promotes christianity to poke fun at people believing there were satanic subliminal messages hidden in songs
Frippman I like the song even more now
That......might be the most genius idea anyone's ever had....
Lmao I love Danny Elfman
The song that comes before it (No Spill Blood) pokes fun at Judaism.
@@achair650 A few other people did the ironic backmasking thing around the same time. There was even a Christian musician (I think it was Mylon Lafever) who included one on one of his tracks. When you play it backwards, it says, "Why are you looking for the devil when you should be looking for God?" And there was even an episode of GI Joe where Destro recites an ancient magical chant to waken an eldritch horror. It's obviously reversed speech. When you play it backwards it says, "Anyone who goes to the trouble of playing this backwards is a complete dweeb."
"little girls is so catchy is should be illegal" jokes on you, it is (or was) illegal in canada
That's very surprising considering hearing it on canadian alt-rock radio and looking it up to find the meaning is what got me into the band
@@pepesilvia429 the video was banned on Canadian TV
I don't agree with a lot of your placements, but seeing someone talk about Oingo Boingo makes me legit happy. God speed.
(And Elevator Man is GREAT, dammit)
Amen!
Yes and so is not my slave.
We close are eyes is one of there most beloved songs by fans as well
Elevator Man is the Weird Science of Boi-Ngo, not sure how he doesn't like it.
@@TyLogan91 You called it right there! I came to comment specifically after he knocked Not My Slave.
But I'm a 40s guy who came here to complain!
He doesn't have the perspective of living the 80s/90s
Danny said we live in a society on only a lad
No he didn't he said "society made him"
@@bringme1kscrubscribers10 which is basically the dame thing
Not gonna mention "nothing bad ever happens to me"? That track is a bop and a half.
I agree
@Colour Barz A MAN BROKE INTO MY NEY-BA-HOOD
@@soupdujour5807 he threatened the family with a loaded gun!
Yeah I love this one
Teenage son he seemed okay, but he’s suicide ruined everyone’s day!
Putting Boi-ngo last is a national tragedy
I agree, sometimes Boi-Ngo is the right album for the occasion and its messages are powerful. I'm going to write a small essay on why I feel that way, for no reason in particular.
Home Again: somewhat menacing and sad in a bittersweet nostalgic way. Great when you feel isolated and uncertain with your next step in life after feeling things have been off and feeling unsatisfied with life's circumstances in general. You're trying to find the familiar place (physical or abstract) where you feel safe from putting up a front to face a harsh world.
We Close Our Eyes: while the studio version on this album is just okay, the live version on the farewell tour is spectacular. While essentially this song is a sappy little ballad, its words could not be more true and refreshing for the discouraged. This would actually make the best graduation song ever. Another bittersweet song that ruminates on the inevitability of death but having a choice of happiness. It's a very common Oingo Boingo theme, but done so earnestly and personally here.
Where Do All My Friends Go: this song musically and lyrically evokes a mystery to be solved. At some points of our lives we can feel lonely, even when surrounded by people we know and love. This song explores, like many other Oingo Boingo songs, the alienating nature of modern life and the audacity it takes to set out alone when others can't relate to you or don't share your dream, and can't provide you support, direction, or validation.
My Life: the song starts out as a list of anxieties but then the chorus comes in and changes the tone beautifully. This song implores you to hold on to the things that matter and to accept what falls away.
The other songs are not as important to me, but it should be pointed out that there are related thematic elements to all songs in this album. Essentially Boi-Ngo's message as a whole is that life can be difficult and very alienating. On the other hand there are a few lodestones in our life that we can look to that stand apart from all the nonsense, pain, and failure we must endure. There are respites in people, places, and within yourself. This is the album to listen to if your world becomes alien and you must find a way to adapt.
So-Lo isnt a Danny Elfman solo album. Every track features the entire band, it was only released under his name do to a record label dispute.
Good to know
From reading the description on the wiki about the band and on the album, It's actually conflicting, so it's safe to assume that it's because of that AND because the bassist Kerry Hatch and keyboardist Richard Gibbs dropped out during 1984. The band went into hiatus until replacements could be found. Danny wanted to produce an album for 1984 and since that the record company didn't allow them to because of the lack of Hatch and Gibbs, they denied permission to do so. In response. Danny produced So-Lo under his name, with the rest of the Oingo Boingo member with John Aliva on bass and Mike Bacich on keyboard, though they weren't officially a part of the band until *Dead Man's Party* came out a year later.
In short, it's a combination of both stories.
Another fun fact for the so lo album is that flea did some of the bass for the album
Actually I think Gibbs and Hatch are only credited but not actually on the album.
@@Acujeremy They played on Lightning
Seeing the word "worst" in a list of Oingo Boingo releases is a crime that should be punishable by at least some community service.
I hope this gets more people into boingo
I had heard of them, and have always been curious about them, but now after this, I'll probably go check them out
Yeah, me too! They definitely deserve a lot more attention; their songs are so good 😭😭
The only song on that album I like is Insanity. Oh and War Again.
I hope this gets more Boingo into people
They are one of my fave bands so I hope so!!!
>not liking elevator man
who's going down
But it sounds like Weird Science
I can imagine liking it ironically
@@nuclearpotato4073 who's goin down?
*rubbing my fist* whos goin down?
I could cry from joy, I swear NO ONE ELSE lists Good For Your Soul that high, it's often overlooked I feel
What a shame. That’s probably my favorite. What do they rank above it?
I rank it just beneath the first two
Boi-ngo is an underrated album a lot of great songs especially Home Again and We Close Our Eyes
Elevator Man and New Generation are bangers for me
New generation and we close our eyes are phenomenal
Home Again, Elevator Man, My Life, and Outrageous were great, I really liked Boi-ngo. Plus, "Remember my Name" was supposed to go on there, which was fantastic, but sadly didn't make the album, or any album :(
@@emmafr1edman I forgot about New Generation that's a great track.
Pain is one of my fave Oingo Boingo tracks.
Little Girls kept me away from Oingo Boingo for SO LONG because I didn’t know that it was written to ostracize pedos, and that’s one of my biggest regrets. I think Little Girls does exactly what it’s supposed to do PERFECTLY, it makes you uncomfortable because of the lyrics, but it’s so catchy you can’t help but to dance to it but you just feel so WRONG because it’s such a disgusting song, and it’s SUPPOSED to be like that and I love that aspect of it. The over desperation and creepiness in the song is how we can identify it as satire but unfortunately that critical thinking piece isn’t something everyone has, I know I didn’t when I was younger. And I’ve interpreted Capitalism in a similar way too, that the lyrics and point of few are just so bizarre it sounds like it’s making fun of what he’s pretending to be. But I Could be wrong with that interpretation because I do know that Danny’s viewpoints have changed over the years. I too think Only A Lad and Good For Your Soul are THE quintessential Boingo albums because they really capture what the band is about, I think GFYS has a good mix of their social commentary and creepy aesthetic, so that’s why that one is my favourite (favourite album Ever actually). I LIKED HEARING YOUR OPINIONS A LOT thank you for this video and sharing pieces of Oingo Boingo that people might not have heard before
I just thought it was a song about midgets?
Little Girls was how I was introduced to Oingo Boingo and I introduced my friends to them by that song and one of them loved it.
Many of Danny's songs in the early days were meant to be reactionary and provocative. In some cases, he was using the "unreliable narrator" technique, so the lyrics were intentionally designed to be interpreted in a number of ways.
oh no yeah good for your soul is hands down their best album.
OK. First, SoCal native, here, now residing in Montana. (Where I met Brigit, Danny's wife, made a couple of movies with her brother, Justin. Young, then.) Mystic Knights was my 1st show, taken by my best friend's big brother, a troublemaker. About 820 years ago. I was far too young to be at the venue (the Whiskey? I don't know), but things were looser, then. We weren't drinking, of course, although it didn't matter, onstage a fever dream that kept one unmoored even these many years later. The theatrical troupe, then. I was unprepared for this oddity. Wonderful.
Ended up in high school in Orem, Utah. The cultural polar opposite of SoCal, and Boingo was unfortunately relegated to a frozen memory. Especially for one who was not a member of the Mormon Club, this oppressive abject whiteness had a profound chilling effect on anything artistic, interesting, or true. I don't write epiphanies--cheap--but I've suffered a few. Listening to the (corporate) radio one afternoon, I looked up from my painting, said, almost out loud, I don't like this music I'm listening to and I'm going to change it right now. Started dialing about for something worth a damn. Came across the local college station. BYU, but still an uppity college station. Depeche Mode. Never cared for the band, found them a bit pokey, but my girlfriend liked them, figured if I enjoyed the next track, I may stick.
This is my private life, can you get me out of here? I stuck the landing pretty hard. Reinvigorated my love affair with the Elfman and Oingo Boingo, which lasts to this day.
That said, it's fair to remind oneself of Danny's native sarcasm and the levels of irony he trafficks in. Almost novelistic. Through double thinking and a twisting of clichés and clarity of purpose, Elfman is able to form a multifaceted and witty arguement within the confines of a (lively, both original and historical) pop song. (Warren Zevon and Elvis Costello and Joshua Redman--took my nephew to his first real show the other night, and Redman's combo was quite transporting--as a small example of such machinations.)
Specifically, Little Girls obviously can't be taken at face value. Clearly, even the most brutal asshole of the day wouldn't write a song in support of pedophilia. The overt message being, Flattery will get you nowhere. Sometimes, we entertain relationships that are unhealthy, if ego stroking. Metaphor. Simple.
And the Elfman's relationship with Brigit has been a serious benefit, if his orchestral work and his newest post punk solo album has anything to say about it. (Big Mess. Pick it up. Vinyl, if you can.) Like Tom Waits becoming so much more fascinating after he met Kathleen Brennan, for another example.
Anyway, compelled to write about Little Girls as I've recently seen so much confusion online, going through a Boingo retrospective in the house. The takeaway being that we should all read more.
And, still, Oingo Boingo one of the great live acts I've ever seen in this 800ish year old life. Really, my head has never stopped ringing. And my nephew, who plays sax and guitar, now considers Boingo a favorite. Like so many musicians.
Long life and joy.
IM IN LOVE WITH EVERY BOINGO ALBUM BOI-NGO IS SO GOOD 😭
Danny Elfman was a legend from the start
Reptiles and Samurai really shows the early Boingo genius. The song describes the 2 parts of Danny's brain fighting with each other. "They battle but they never die". The Reptile is the retreating shy part and the Samurai is his extroverted part. He obviously has problems talking to a girl but "Sometimes, I watch you from this place way in the sky" So he can step back from everything looking down at the big picture and her "face is young and shiny" but then all of a sudden it, "transformed right before my eyes" Oh no, his battle of both sides of his mind act up again, "Without warning, without reason to samurai and lizards, Reptiles and samurai ".
Boi-Ngo kind of suffered because of its production. There were actually more songs recorded for it, many in my opinion would have been the best on the album. For some reason they were cut and never released. The sound of the album was also very thin and commercial, which has dated it worse than the others. Given a remix, plus the unreleased songs, theres a much better, kinda abstract 'pop' album hidden in there!
finally i find someone whos also into MCR, Oingo Boingo, Pink Floyd, Green Day, The Beatles, and Eminem
Too bad you didn't cover their 1980 Demo EP, all the songs are such bangers and you hear an early, darker sounding Only a Lad.
Ain't This The Life is one of my favorite songs in their whole catalog.
100% agreed. I got super lucky and found a copy of the demo EP for 99 cents at a Goodwill near my place in the 90's. lol
Dude The Forbidden Zone song is so epic, great ep
My first introduction to Oingo Boingo wasn't Oingo Boingo at all, but Weird Al's style parody, You Make Me - a connection that I only realized upon first hearing the song Grey Matter, which is blatantly the main inspiration for You Make Me. Honestly, listening to Weird Al as a kid is one of the best things that happened to me, 'cause a lot of the musical styles that I love today is stuff I was introduced to by him back in the day.
putting only a lad at 1st place was a big brain move
Nothing to fear is the best album! 🤘😁
@@TyLogan91 Good For Your Soul!
Only a Lad and Nothing to Fear are the best, Good for Your Soul next.
But he only wanted a stereo....
@@saturdaymorning329 Danny is making fun of the liberals going, "But he's only a lad. Give him a chance." Danny is like screw you, I HOPE YOU FRY!
Never thought I’d see this band get ANY attention these days, let alone an official discog ranking. I also think that boi-ngo is pretty weak as well however the best tracks are the bookends. I love the last song “Pain” and think the violin sample is brilliant.
Nice list. Thank you sir.
No spill blood was his homage to ‘The Island if Dr. Murrau’ by HG Wells.
I love that song
I don’t think it is possible to listen to No Spill Blood and not groove to it. The entirety of Good For Your Soul is just so good. Probably my personal favorite of theirs. That album is just everything I love about Oingo Boingo. They just had so much chaotic energy.
Opinions are weird. Boi-ngo is probably in my top 5 to be honest.
I highly recommend Forbidden Zone directed by Richard Elfman,(his Big Brother and founder of the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo)I will say,it’s not for everyone,it has a lot going on that matches the manic beat and energy of the band.
Their music that’s made up in the film is more in tune with jazz and blues of the 1930’s or novelty bits that are reminiscent from within the time.
It’s like an adult Fleischer cartoon with all of their hallmarks,that happens to have music that would eventually be the band of Oingo Boingo.
I seriously recommend it.
Such an underrated band.Just happy to see people talking about their music.Solid video,solid opinions.
Josh Clark I’ve seen it multiple times in both color and B&W, I love that movie
Oh god, I couldn't believe the title, finally an ob video that isn't from a greasy 40 year old complaining
I always can understand in my head that there are other people my age that like them but when I look online all I see are these kinds of angry middle aged men and it makes me upset
@@brendanspaulding7930 Don’t worry the younger generation will discover him this year at Coachella
You sound like a complaining 40 year old.
"The music's upbeat but the lyrics are dark" don't ever listen to Reel Big Fish
I got so hyped when you were talking about Only A Lad that I woke my grandfather up when I yelled “YES!!” 😂 I love that album so much!
Man I love Only a Lad.
finally someone who knows oingo. i have been trying to find ppl who know the band and seeing this makes me happy
Jojo fan
Jesus Christ, Billy, get a guitar stand
I have them, they’re just in storage rn because I’m moving
Billy Cobb understandable
Is that a Jojo reference
Nothing to Fear album is absolutely FANTASTIC!!!
heard somebody cry might be one of my favourite songs ever. i mean..
it isn’t true! i am not the ghost! without a soul!!!
fuuuuuck
Sir, I've been an Oingo Boingo fan for many years....And I have to pretty much agree with your placement of the albums. As to anyone that says you had to be there to understand it....True classics can be understood and their message is timeless. Regardless of age, if a song is truly good, you'll get it at any age or stage of time. To me, that is what makes Oingo Boingo timeless. Well done, Billy, well done.
i will not tolerate this boi-ngo slander :(
Honestly came here 50% for the rankings, 50% for the comments from people that also like oingo boingo
>Van Halen's "You Really Got Me"
Oh, my sweet summer child.
EDIT: I can't read.
Did you see the caption
@@BillyCobbOfficial I did not
I'm BooBoo the Fool
I’m so glad this was in my recommended. Ngl Oingo Boingo are in my Top 10 Bands list, they’re just so GREAT.
In Boingo album, I picture Jack Skellington singing all the tracks especially in the tender lumplings interlude. But yeah, it's an underrated album and I agree with most with this discography ranking especially with the first three albums
I'd be tempted to switch Only A Lad and Good For Your Soul, but they're so close I can't be bothered at all by your ranking. Only gripe I had was your comment on Not My Slave. That gripe being I never noticed that it is kinda similar to Modern Love, and I hope that doesn't ruin the song for me in subsequent listens, as it's my favorite off that album. Still, a well thought-out video on an amazing oft-forgotten band!
On the contrary, I think that “reptiles and samurai” does compare the two. It emphasizes that reptiles are silly and mischievous, while samurai are serious. I read this interpretation of the song on r/oingoboingo by user HoardEG, "For the longest time I thought reptiles and samurai was total gibberish, but now I think it's about a man's struggles with balancing his serious side and his spontaneous side."
The Apollonian and the Dionysian?
Something like that. It's the battle between our primitive "lizard" brains and more evolved "civilized" instincts.
Regarding So-Lo, I believe Danny had to release it as a solo album to avoid record label issues as they were transitioning labels at the time. But the whole band is on the album with Danny.
Oh, and it's worth mentioning that Only A Lad can be seen as a concept album of sorts. The majority of the original tracks focus on deviants, fanatics, paranoids, and other assorted dregs of society.
Also, Capitalism is usually considered to be a sarcastic jab at "Randroid" types.
It's not what Danny believed when he wrote it, though. It was inspired by him hearing punk bands singing about revolution. He thought it was ironic that if they lived in the truly revolutionary or communist countries that they idealized, they wouldn't even be allowed to espouse those views.
@@SirHatchporch danny has said the song was written mostly because he "was being a brat" and more about leftists who don't practice what they preach and only say things for praise, even saying it's ridiculous that conservatives think it's praising them. idk where you got that information, but it's wrong my man
@@kida5004 Theres audio recordings when they played it live where Danny rants in favour of capitalism, but he mellowed on it over time. The song was not so much written to be a political anthem (which Danny hated the idea of) but more a mockery of the 'middle class socialist brats' who 'dont practice what they preach', not so much a pro-conservative song when it comes down to it. But it was kept vague because Oingo Boingo's whole thing with that album was to provoke thought and challenge people. Either by total satire like Little Girls or provocative mocking lyrics like Capitalism.. Only A Lad even does both!
Skin from ‘Dark at the End of the Tunnel’ is so freaking good-it actually comforted me during a time of my life that I was questioning myself & who I am.
Meanwhile Insanity from ‘Boingo’ gives me anti-hero/villain vibes I love it so much
I have to add, that Mary from ‘Boingo’ is such a cry fest it’s so beautiful
Mary is secretly very popular with gay people because her story sounds so familiar. If you substitute her being a witch with being a lesbian, and substitute her magic powers with the magic of self-awareness, it's a perfect analogy
@@JaredJonesAZTo me it feels more like Mary joined a cult because Danny just sounds so sad about Mary being gone.
As a fan for decades now, these are some pretty sound opinions. I would have thrown in So-Lo in at the 4-5 spot. I'd keep Boi-Ngo at the bottom of the heap, but also single out the lovely We Close Our Eyes for special praise. Nothing To Fear would probably be my top pick. Honestly, though, their best three are all so consistent that I could waffle back and forth on any given day.
I have to say that Dark at the End of the Tunnel might be my favorite record by them. I love how every song is dark and uplifting at the same time.
Been a fan since 1983 and actually watched them win The Gong Show in the late 70's. Also like Taylor Judge said below, THERE IS NO BAD BOINGO 😉! BTW, I love Elevator Man 🎸🎶😎!
elevator man is great
buh capitalism is a satirical song just like every other song on only a lad lmao, that entire album danny was making fun of everyone, left and right. he just wanted to tick people that wouldnt understand his delivery off
I can break down Boingo perfectly. Every Boingo album is great but there was a shift in the band and member change when they embraced the whole Halloween thing when Dead Man's Party came out. I'd like to start with Islands is my favorite Boingo song of all time.
Here is my breakdown: The first and second album, Only a Lad and Nothing to Fear are at the level of genius they never quite reach after those. Those 2 albums are absolutely creative genius! The EP before Only a Lad is great too by the way with Ain't This the Life and I'm So Bad. The 3rd album Good for Your Soul is excellent, just not as good as the one before, but excellent!
The bassist Kerry Hatch was awesome but this the last album he is on and you will notice the bass lines never are quite the same. The keyboardist Gibbs leaves too. The next album Solo has Hatch and Gibbs in the credits but I don't think they are actually on it. Then Dead Man's Party was the beginning to the new sound without the amazing Hatch and of course Gibbs.
The old way Danny would sing like he was a cartoon character he embraced on the first 2 albums are now done. I love it though. Boi-Ngo is great if you were around back then when it was popular. Dark at the End of the Tunnel has some amazing lyrics and beautiful singing. The final one Boingo, half of the songs are awesome but look for the original Los Like This as it originally was an outtake of, I believe, Good for Your Soul. Alive is them recording their songs live in the studio which I loved in the early 90s, but now I think the way Danny would sing on the first 3 albums was the best.
Oh by the way, Not My Slave is the worst song of all time!
This is freaky, I just thought about listening to some Oingo Boingo and this shows up in my feed
I've recently started listening to them, really happy to see this in my feed (:
Loved the points you brought up - did you forget Spider when listing songs off Boingo, though?
I think my top three is almost the same, but for me it's probably more like
1.Good For Your Soul
2.Nothing To Fear
3.Only A Lad
I'd put Dead Man's Party at 3 but I totally agree with the take you have on those three weaker tracks
When he said “a cover of Van Halen’s You Really Got Me” a part of me died inside
Nothing To Fear is my favorite album by Oingo Boingo
I love Dark at the End of the Tunnel. I even like Boi-ngo, though it is probably their weakest effort, especially throwaway songs like “Elevator Man.” I just love their entire oeuvre. I think, though, that your breakdown is pretty logical, and probably most people would agree with your rankings.
Mystic Knights was started by Richard Elfman, not Danny.
I learned about Oingo Boingo from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
I’m bet you’re glad you did
Same dude
I learned about JoJo from Oingo Boingo lol
Why the fuck is everything a Jojo reference? What is the correlation? I’m serious please answer me!
There are characters in the show named oingo and boingo. The creator names a lot of characters in the show after bands and songs. Which makes a lot of music a jojo reference. That’s how my friend found oingo boingo, and through my friend is how I found them.
1. Nothing to Fear
2. Only A Lad
3. Good For Your Soul
4. Dead Man's Party
5. BOINGO
6. So-Lo
7. Boi-ngo
8. Dark at the End of the Tunnel
Obligatory opinion disclaimer.
So glad I watch your channel, since watching this video I've been getting into Oingo Boingo, I love every song I've heard so far (just some singles and their first album)
"Van halen's you really got me" oooooof.😬
I know its been a bajillion years since you've done this series, and the band I'm about to suggest you review probably isn't your type of taste, but please, I beg, BEG of you to do a Worst to Best on *Lemon Demon.*
It'd be interesting both due to the band's varying quality of the albums from the oldest to the newest, and the subjects of all the songs, as they cover so many interesting ideas and different feelings.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OINGO BOINGO CONTENT FOR SO LONG YESSSSS
Hey William, do you know anything about the Residents? They're also halloweenie as hell which makes me bring them up.
I know I'm late, but it's good to see some love for Oingo Boingo! I've always thought they were one of the most inventive/underrated bands from the era. Your opinions aren't too far off from mine either. I'd put Dark at the End of the Tunnel at the dead bottom and Nothing to Fear at the top, as well as So-Lo at number 2 or 3, but otherwise, it's fairly similar! I really enjoyed the video, man! It's nice to see other younger people into Boingo!
Wow, I was looking for one of these a few days ago right before you put this up and missed your upload!
Huge props for putting Only a Lad at the top
i think "The doors worst to best" would be super interesting. as would a System Of A down worst to best
im pretty sure the placement of capitalism on only a lad is to show the overall irony of the album itself. the delivery doesnt really seem pro capitalist.
I think Danny nailed it when he was asked if it was serious or satire and he said, "both. It's serious satire." That said, he was fairly conservative at the time he wrote it.
Can you please make a worst to best video on Talking heads?? Please sir, I'm begging you
Old school Oingo Boingo fan here. Spot on reviews! Nasty Habits and Little Guns sound like the opening of Beetlejuice as well as the opening of Pee Wee. What blows me away about their first album is all the diverse time signatures. That plus the message of the songs makes me think like Danny was doing this as Masters Thesis. And did you find their live show from 1980 at the Whiskey on CZcams? Damn they were tight! Helluva a group. Could have seen them live in college but neglected to. Now I’m regretting it big time!
Thank you for covering one of my favourite band. While i don't agree with some critics i can see where you are coming from. Either way good to see a fellow fan. Keep up the good work.
Nice list! I disagree about the comment regarding Boingo lacking humor. The whiplashes in energy alone are comedic (not in the haha way) and it still has the sarcastic one liners. This album is my favorite from them
“The white folks think they’re at the top, ask any proud white male. A million years of evolution, we get Danny Quayle.” Such a funny little quip that just hits right.
@@YungM.D. The weird thing about it is that in that song he characterizes the Religious Right as both covertly racist, on a subliminal level (“white perfection, perfection is my goal/put us through the filter make us pure and white” Freudian choice of words much?) and overtly egalitarian (“lets make believe we’re all the same”); this level of nuance is rare coming from a liberal perspective and could almost come from the dissident right. But in this lyric it seems he’s portraying them as believing they’re racially superior (intellectually is implied seeing Dan Quayle is the punchline)... because of evolution I guess? But the Religious Right doesn’t believe in evolution, doesn’t want it taught in schools... in fact, they will use the argument that the theory of evolution led to the rise of Nazism and White Supremacy and stuff like that... they’re hypocritical of course but I think that’s the point of view he was portraying, that they were persecuting him for having liberal ideas on the grounds that liberal ideas promote genocide.
"Try To Believe" was released as a single for the film Midnight Run, a comical, crime road trip flick. I can understand your disdain for the post-commercial Boingo albums. I think I love them as I got into every album at one time. 1995, the year they broke up. My ex-wife turned me onto them at the time, when we were dating in H.S. I really think you should give Boi-ngo a shot again though. Elevator Man is one of my favorites. Commercial doesn't mean "bad". I think when you get older you'll realize this. Definitely look for the tracks they did on 80's Soundtracks like Bachelor Party and Last American Virgin too, those are some of their best songs imho. Really glad you love No One Lives Forever. My band covered that live before.
I wonder if I could get you to do Nine Inch Nails. How would you count the Trilogy and Broken?
It’s not very often I completely agree with one of these videos, but you are completely on the mark! Though I do have one thing to say, with songs on Only A Lad I think it’s pretty clear to assume that songs like Capitalism or Little Girls arent from his point of view exactly, they are two very satirical songs and I think it’s more “I’m making fun of this point of view by imitating it” rather than “this is what I truly believe.” But who really knows, just another lens to look at the songs through I guess!
You can say that for Little Girls without a doubt, but I believe capitalism is honest
@@BillyCobbOfficial sorry dude, I have to disagree. Danny has stated in interviews that around that time he was writing about things from the news. I highly doubt that was from his point of view, it just sounds too satirical for me to say he genuinely thought that.
On another note, I'm just glad I found someone willing to talk about them. And I have to agree that Oingo Boingo is one of my favorite bands! Keep going strong!
ayden s but he was serious on a few of the other tracks on the album as well
@@BillyCobbOfficial you have a point
Billy Cobb Billy Cobb Danny has said before that it was actually a bit of both. The character he is singing as is meant to be obnoxious, but the whole "middle class socialist brat" bit was a sincere, albeit exaggerated criticism of the left.
It does seem unlikely that the entire thing is Dannys genuine feelings considering he has stated many times (and this is obvious from other Boingo songs) that he is extremely liberal.
This band really makes me feel like reading a comic book that predicts the future
Good List man! Have you done a vid on devo? If not do you plan to?
“Worst to best” as in Oingo Boingo have anything that can be classified as “worst”
What you see is one of my favorites, always has to come after only a lad. I love just how scared it sounds, worried like it has accepted something but it is devastated by the realization
I LOVEEE OINGO BOINGO!!! So happy youre talking about them. :) More people need to listen to their music!!
bruh same man i was before is the best tf
Dunno if you knew, but there's an interview of Danny where he talks about how Only A Lad is just making fun of/addressing different scenarios and people he happened upon. He didn't specify which song(s), but he literally said that some of them were simply inspired by newspaper articles.
Yes! I have seen that same interview. The lyrics were meant to be reactionary and from different viewpoints.
Nasty Habits does incorporate some riffs from music that was performed by the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo on the Forbidden Zone soundtrack.
Clearly, Zenyatta and Mondatta are superior.
A fellow man of culture.
@DJ3ST3R Nobody cares about your hate boner for JoJo, please go away.
@@isabellev9576 There was no comments of jojo and it was great, and you ruined it, DJ3ST3R is not hating jojo he is hating people like you who give the series a bad name by make annoying jokes like this. (In fact I would not be suprised if he likes jojo
Zeke Kehrman How did I ruin anything by making a reference, exactly?
EDIT: Also, how is this joke annoying? Please elaborate on both of these questions.
@@isabellev9576 Cause it is unfunny
This list is horrible because there is no such thing as "the worst" when ranking boingo songs or albums !
Just because it's the "worst" doesnt mean it's bad it's just not as good as the others
Agreed. I don't think they put out a single bad or even mediocre album.
"the worst" is more accurately "the one I'm not really vibing with right now" - ask me again in two weeks
The list is fine so long as the first three albums are at the top.
Make sure to also check out the Oingo Boingo Tapes YT channel to see unreleased/live/rough recordings.
So glad you didn't forget to mention Try to Believe.
Oingo Boingo can do no Wrong.
Great video, its nice to see people still talking about Oingo boingo, very underated band👍
How could anyone not realise little girls was satire 😓
>not knowing Solo technically is a Boingo album
>Putting Boingo ahead of Boi-ngo
-closes video-
It technically isn't a Boingo album, I dont know where that rumour came from that it was just renamed because the label didnt have the rights to the name. It was always conceived as a solo album from the beginning, but just had some members of OB play on it. Steve Bartek confirmed in an interview with Richard Blade that it was because MCA signed Danny solo, not Oingo Boingo (which was on hiatus at the time), but Danny persuaded them to change his recording contract to Oingo Boingo afterwards. Since Danny was always the sole songwriter for Boingo anyway, it really doesnt make much difference how you class it!
Boingo is an amazing album shut up
Nasty habits sounds like the beetlejuice theme
Hey! Long-time Boingoloid here, thought I'd fill in some context for some of the songs. First up, as Synthcool pointed out below, "Little Girls" is making fun of old guys who date young girls, but, growing up in Hollywood, the specific people he's talking about are movie producers, who were generally guys in their 60s with trophy girlfriends around 20 or so, which he thought was icky, and, you just *knew* some of these guys were going far younger than that. Which, as we've seen in the last few years, was true of that.
"Capitalism" stemmed from what Danny saw as the hypocracy of his suburban California liberalism while growing up. As he put it, these were high-school kids who'd put on their leather jackets and claim to be all concerned about the poor and minorities and blah blah blah, and he just couldn't stand them because, in his mind, *everything* they were saying was just fashion, not actual belief. And as Danny never finished high school, and was mostly supporting himself by 18, he grew to detest their "Left Wing Chic" even more.
"Only a Lad" is about largely the same thing as Capitalism, the idea that lenience for crime, particularly juvenile offenders, led to far, far worse problems down the road. This had been a huge issue all through the '70s, and was still very timely when the song was recorded for their debut EP in 1980, and rerecorded for their first album in 81.
None of this should be taken to mean Danny is a Repubican or even a Conservative - as far as I know, he's not - he simply saw these issues as common sense at the time.
"No Spill Blood" is an homage to the book, "The Island of Dr. Moreau" by HG Wells, about a mad scientist who turns animals into people and forces them to behave contrary to their instincts. When they disobey, he sends them off to his lab, where he experiments on them some more. They call the lab, "The House of Pain." Also, "Lawgiver," is one of the more intelligent animals, and his job is to remind them of the rules.
Dunno if any of that is useful or not. I hope it was.
So-Lo *is* a Boingo album, but they couldn't use the name as they were involved in a contract dispute between A&M and MCA records at the time, but that's fine, you probably already knew that. If you *DID* consider it one of their albums, where would you rank it?
Also, if you considered their Live albums ("Boingo Alive" and "Farewell") as regular albums (As both of them have original material on 'em), where would you place them in the ranking?
Totally right, although Danny's personal beliefs have swayed over time (as we all do) thats totally the implications he had in mind originally if you read all the early 80s news articles and audio recordings, which I think comes through in the songs. The great thing about Oingo Boingo (and what Danny said was their modus operandi at the time) was that it challenged you to think while enjoying the energy, to question things whether you agreed or disagreed, and it's great the songs are still provoking thought all these years later!
Only thing is the recording label dispute isnt quite how people often say it is, Steve Bartek confirmed it was because MCA signed a solo contract with Danny and didnt want Oingo Boingo, but Danny persuaded them to change it to OB after the release of So-Lo. So-Lo has most the band members playing on it anyway, except they were missing a bassist and keyboardist at the time
He might have “dropped out” of high school but it wasn’t because he flunked or anything like that. He left early so he could go with his brother on a trip to France and then Africa and he had probably skipped a couple of grades in math and science anyway seeing that he won third place in a science fair for doing experiments with radioactive materials when he was in junior high so he only had a couple of credits to make up which he did through correspondence.
@@nuclearcatbaby1131 IIRC, he actually got hit by a car while walking across the street. While he was recouperating in the hospital with nothing to do, he got his GED, followed by a hefty insurance settlement, which is what he used to get to France, and later to pay some of his way there and in Africa.
@@mahatmarandy5977 Wasn’t that his brother?
@@nuclearcatbaby1131 I don't think so. I remember reading an interview with Danny in Blender or something back in the '90s, and he was clearly talking about himself.
Look I know it has been 3 years since you made a “Worst to Best” video but can you please do another one. I really miss the worst to best videos.
Possibly make a worst to best about the misfits or koRn, but I would love one about Nirvana and yes I know they have a small discography but I think you can let some live/compilation albums in their to make the video a bit longer if you ever want to make a worst to best about them.
By the way love your music man, I have a lot of your ep’s and albums downloaded on Apple Music.
Love the songs dude.
I know you don't really do these anymore, but I'd love to see your thoughts on king crimson
Wow. I so disagree. Dark At The End of The Tunnel is actually an up beat positive album. Out of Control was a great song. You have to be a real fan to understand the progression of Elfman’s musical taste. He even admitted that he wasn’t a fan of his own early stuff.
I didn’t like how much he shit on Dark At the End of the Tunnel.
the "real fan" argument always amounts to people not handling opinions well
@@spaghetti_o_yeah9550 disagree. It’s easy for someone who looks at the surface of an artist’s car along and judge it solely on the music without understanding the influences and other contributing factors as to why a specific album came out the way. A casual listener may not appreciate it it as much
Mr. Bungle
The arrangement and speed of Dead Man's Party when they performed it Live At The Ritz is amazing and way better than the album version. Check it out on CZcams.